Captured
by blue-bumblebee
Summary: Kovu has been captured by humans and taken to live in a rich man's manison as one of his exotic pets. He will need the help of the man's pets to get back to the pride.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own The Lion King. **

"Kovu, you will be king of this land one day remember that," Simba told Kovu. He nodded, understanding what Simba said. Kovu looked out from where he stood on pride rock. He saw the gazelles prancing around in the savannah, the elephants bathing in the waterhole and much more. He took the sight in. "My father told me when I was young, that everything the light touches is our kingdom," Simba said quoting his deceased father. "Whoa," Kovu muttered under his breath. The two lions had talked more, the older of the two telling the younger of what he will experience as king of the pride lands. Once Simba had dismissed Kovu, he searched for Kiara.

"You want to go hunting, Kiara?" Kovu asked Kiara once he had found her. Kiara gave him a smile, "Sure." The two lions crouched low to the ground and silently crept up close to a group of grazing antelope. They waited for several second before charging at the herd. The herd of antelope scattered and Kovu and Kiara chased them. Kiara had successfully separated an antelope from the herd. She jumped onto the back of the animal and dug her claws into its hind leg. The antelope fell to the ground with a shriek of pain. Kovu sunk his dagger sharp teeth into the antelope's neck, leaving it lifeless. Kovu gave Kiara a smirk.

"You're getting better at hunting."

"You really think so?" Kiara asked with excitement in her voice.

"Definitely, just look at how fast you got the antelope down," Kovu replied giving Kiara a smile.

"Thanks and shouldn't we get the kill back to the pride before hyenas smell it," Kiara suggested returning the smile. Kovu nodded and took the antelope's neck in his jaw. Kiara led the way towards the pride while Kovu brought the kill. She stopped mid-stride causing Kovu to almost bump into her. He dropped the kill to talk. "Hey, why did you stop?" he asked. Kiara gave him a look that said he should keep quiet. They had crouched down low but were both still able to see the strange creature that made Kiara stop. The creature was hairless except for the brown mop on top of its head. It also stood on two legs and held a strange stick in its hands. "What do you think it is?" Kovu whispered to Kiara. She looked at the creature before answering Kovu. "Maybe it's some type of hairless monkey." Kovu crept closer to the strange creature. "What are you doing!"Kiara hissed. Kovu looked back with a smirk. "I want to get a closer look, come on, or are you scared."

"I'm not scared; I just think we should leave it alone and go back to the pride."

"Heh so, you are scared," Kovu teased.

"No I'm not, and fine let's get a closer look," Kiara said crouching low to the ground next to Kovu. The two lions crept closer to the creature. It stood unaware of the two lions creeping up on it.

"What now?" Kiara whispered.

"I don't know, I guess we go back to the pride," Kovu answered.

"That would be best," Kiara said as she turned still crouched low to the ground, towards their kill. Kovu followed suit but accidentally stepped on a twig in the process, this caused the strange creature to turn its head in their direction. The two lions stood as still as they could and held their breaths, as they waited for the creature to look away. Unfortunately the creature did not look away; instead it walked towards the two lions holding out its strange stick. Kiara looked at Kovu and he nodded, agreeing to the idea that went through both of their heads. When the creature took one more step towards them they quickly popped up, surprising the creature, and bolted.

Kovu let out a growl of pain when he felt something pierce his hind leg. He briefly looked back and saw a red feathered capsule sticking out of his hind leg. Kovu also sat the creature hold the stick near his face aiming towards Kiara. "Watch out!" He warned her. Kiara swerved, causing the dart to miss her hind leg. Kovu suddenly started feeling drowsy and dizzy. The dizziness caused him to stumble. "Kovu!" Kiara cried when she saw him stumble. He stumbled again, falling to the ground with a thump. Kiara slowed to turn but Kovu yelled at her, telling her to keep going.

"But Kovu-"

"No, just keep running, I'll be fine," He cut her off. Kiara looked back at him one final time before she kept running. Kovu fought his drowsiness just enough to see the creature walk towards him. Using all the strength he could muster, he stood up and swiped at the creature, receiving a shriek from it. Kovu smirked to himself before he was consumed by unwelcomed darkness.

**A/N: Well, there you go, sorry it's so short, but it is just the first chapter. What will happen to Kovu? What was the strange stick the creature was holding? You will find out all this in the next chapter. Oh and reviews would be nice. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I don't own the Lion King. **

Kovu's eyes fluttered open when the effects of the dart wore off. "Where am I?" he asked out loud, his voice hoarse. "Nice to see you're up," a voice replied. Kovu turned his head towards the direction where the voice came from. The voice he heard came from a lioness with tan colored fur with a lighter shade around her snout and on the front of her paws and along her underbelly; she also had brown eyes and a black dot under both of her eyes.

"Who are you?" Kovu asked the lioness.

"I'm Leona and you are?" Leona replied.

"I'm Kovu and can you tell me where I am?" Kovu asked.

"You're in the Remington Mansion," Leona answered. Kovu gave her a confused look. "What's that?" Leona laughed at his confusion. "This is where you're probably going to be living from now on, because everyone who ends up here never gets out," Leona explained. Kovu's eyes widened. "What! I don't belong here, I'm going to be a king of a pride, I need to get out of this place," Kovu exclaimed. Leona rolled her eyes. "Did you just not hear me; everyone who ends up here never gets out." Kovu started pacing around muttering about how he needed to get back to the pride.

"Dinner time!" a new voice called out. Both lions turned their heads towards the voice. "What is that?" Kovu asked, looking at a creature similar to the one which had the strange stick, but this one had more hair. "That is a human and her name is Claire and what she is saying means it's time to eat," Leona explained while walking up to the feeding slot in the cage. Claire dropped in chunks of ground meat from the feeding slot. "There you go you two and Leona make sure you show the new guy how things work around here," Claire said, whispering the last part to Leona. She rubbed her head against the chain of the cage letting Claire pet her head. Once Clair had left Leona turned her attention to the meat. She grabbed a chunk and started eating. Leona had taken a few bites before she noticed the disgusted look on Kovu's face.

"What," Leona snapped at Kovu.

"How can you eat that?" Kovu asked the disgusted look still on his face.

"What do you mean? Don't you eat meat?" Leona asked.

"That's meat," Kovu gasped. Leona glared at Kovu. "Yes, even though it might not look like it, it is." Kovu walked over to the meat and leaned down to sniff it. He scrunched up his nose at the smell. "Well, meat is better when it's fresh," Kovu said to Leona. She took another bite of the meat she had before replying. "I wouldn't know," Leona mumbled.

"Wait, do you mean you've never had fresh meat?" Kovu asked.

"Sadly no, they took me from my mother when I was just a tiny cub so, I've been here for most of my life, I've never had the real lion's life," Leona explained. Kovu gave her a sympathetic look. "Hey you should get yourself a chunk of meat 'cause this is the only meat you're going to be getting for a while," Leona told Kovu. He gave a disgusted look before giving in and taking a chuck of meat. "So tell me about yourself, since you now know a bit about me, first start about you being king, how did you get into that?" Leona asked when Kovu laid down near her with his chunk of meat.

"So, you're telling me that you and the King's daughter, Kiara, fell in love and now you will be the new king when the King is ready to pass on his title," Leona said once Kovu finished talking. He finished off his chunk of meat before replying. "Yeah that's how it happened."

"Well, it's going to be hard to be a king of a pride when you're stuck in this place," Leona commented.

"Are you sure that there is no way to get out of this place?" Kovu asked distress in his voice.

"Actually I'm not sure but tomorrow when they take us to the field outside I'm sure I know someone who could tell us if there is a way out of this place," Leona explained. Kovu's face brightened at the news. Leona let out a yawn. "We should get some sleep and tomorrow I will also show you around and introduce you to the other animals here," Leona explained sleepily. "Okay," Kovu said laying his head on his paws. Leona also laid her head on her paws to go to sleep.

Kovu woke up to the sound of a conversation. He snapped open his eyes to see two men in front of the cage he was in. Kovu recognized one of the men as the one who shot him. "This one is a feisty one, he left me with deep claw marks on my right leg," The hunter told the other man.

"He is a perfect addition to my pets, James, you did a good job," The man said to James, the hunter.

"Well, thank you Mr. Remington, I make it my job to get my employer the finest animal they request," James replied. Mr. Remington rubbed his short black beard as he admired Kovu. "Hmm, what shall this fine beast's name be," Mr. Remington muttered to himself. Kovu paced back and forth in the cage keeping eye contact with Mr. Remington. A yawn from Leona caused both Kovu and Mr. Remington to turn their heads towards her. "Ah, Leona, my girl you have awoken," Mr. Remington said. Leona stretched and yawned again before rubbing her head against the chain for Mr. Remington to pet her. "I hope you're getting along with your new companion my dear," He whispered to her. Just then, Claire walked in with a cart that had buckets filled with various types of food.

"Oh, hello Mr. Remington, I came to feed the lions their breakfast," Claire explained.

"Good but do you know of a name which will be fit for a mighty beast like him," Mr. Remington asked, motioning to Kovu. Claire tapped her chin for several seconds before answering. "How about you name him Leo or something like that," she answered. Mr. Remington nodded his head. "I like that, Leo will be this lion's name." Claire nodded her approval and opened the feeding slot of the cage. Kovu turned to Leona giving her a questioning look. "He just named you Leo," she told Kovu.

"But why would he need to do that, I already have a name?" Kovu asked.

"That's the thing he doesn't know your real name so he just named you," Leona explained.

"So is that why your name is weird," Kovu said.

"My name is not weird," Leona huffed. Kovu laughed. "Yes it is." Leona glared at Kovu before turning away from him. "Hey Leo, looks like you made Leona mad, that's not a wise decision," Claire laughed. She gave the two lions a final glance before walking off to feed the other animals. Leona walked over to the meat and grabbed a chunk in her jaw and walked away, settling herself by a wall of the cage, her back turned towards Kovu. "Aw come on, I was just playing," Kovu said walking towards Leona. She ignored him, turning her head away from his direction. Kovu rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Fine, your name is not weird and I'm sorry," He huffed. Leona turned her head towards him and smiled. "You're forgiven," Leona said with a laugh. He shook his head and grabbed a chunk of meat and started eating it.

"Okay you two time to take you outside," Claire announced. She pressed a button that opened a door in the cage that led to a field. Leona walked through the door, followed by Kovu. The field was several acres and had a tall fence surrounding it. "Follow me," Leona ordered Kovu. He walked up next to her. "I'm taking you to Shuja, he is the animal to tell us if there is a way out of this place," Leona explained. Leona led Kovu to a tree which was in the middle of the field. "This is where he settles when they bring the animals outside," Leona told Kovu.

"Shuja, are you there!" She called up to the tree. A tan monkey with a black face and white on his underbelly came down from the tree. "Hey Leona, how are you?" Shuja greeted. Leona smiled at the monkey. "I'm fine but, my friend here isn't, he wants to know if there is a way to get out of this mansion," Leona replied.

"So, this is the new guy, what's your name?" Shuja asked.

"Kovu," he replied.

"So, are you really serious about wanting to escape from the mansion?"

"I am, I need to get back to my pride," Kovu replied.

"Hmm, I don't know a way out but, I'm pretty sure I do know someone who could help us," Shuja told Kovu.

"That's good, but who is it?" Leona asked.

**A/N: Yep, I'm stopping it there. I also want to thank those who reviewed. You'll find out who this animal who can help Kovu in the next chapter. : )**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't own the Lion King. **

"Their name is Toma, he's the jackal," Shuja said.

"Oh, I haven't seen him around," Leona replied.

"Well, that's no surprise he keeps to himself most of the time so, no one really sees him," Shuja explained.

"Do you know where he is?" Kovu asked. Shuja nodded, he motioned with his hand for the two lions to follow him. Shuja had led them to a tree not far from his. "Hey! Betty!"Shuja called. Several seconds later, a gray bird with red on the underside of her tail flew down from the tree onto Leona's back.

"Hi, Shuja, Leona, umm…," Betty trailed off.

"My name's Kovu," Kovu replied. Betty nodded her head and continued talking.

"So what's up?" Betty asked.

"Do you know where Toma went off to?" Shuja asked. Betty tilted her head to the side before answering.

"Hmm, I saw him heading towards the edge of the field," she answered.

"Thanks Betty," Leona said giving the bird a smile. Betty nodded her head and flew back into her tree.

"Why doesn't she just fly and escape from this place?" Kovu asked once the trio was out of earshot from Betty's tree.

"She's like me, she was taken away from her family when she was little and this is the only place she knows, that's the same as me, if they were to put us both in the wild, we'd be dead meat, 'cause unlike some of the other animals here, we have never really had the chance to be real wild animals," Leona explained.

"That's sad, not being able to live the life as a real animal," Kovu commented.

"It is but, guess being a wild animal wasn't in my destiny," Leona sighed. Kovu gave her a sympathetic smile. Leona smiled back and they continued following Shuja. They had walked for several minutes before Shuja had stopped.

"Why'd you stop?" Leona asked. Shuja turned to face Leona.

"Could I ride on your back while we try to find Toma, these old bones of mine are getting worn out," He replied. Leona rolled her eyes. "Please, you're not even in the prime of your life yet," Leona said with a smirk. Shuja just gave her a sheepish grin. Leona shook her head and gestured for him to get on her back. Kovu let out a short laugh. She just shook her head and kept walking. They walked in silence for the rest of their trip.

"So, where is he?" Kovu asked once they had reached the edge of the field near the chain fence.

"Well, he could be anywhere along the edge it's not going to be easy finding him," Shuja replied while he jumped off Leona's back.

"How about we split up," Leona suggested.

"That's a good idea I'll go with Kovu to the left and you search the right," Shuja said. Leona nodded and walked towards the right. Kovu walked to the left with Shuja next to him. They walked in silence for a few steps before Shuja spoke up.

"So, Kovu, tell me about yourself?" He asked.

"Well, what do you want to know," Kovu replied. Shuja tapped his chin for several seconds. "Where'd you live before they captured you?"

"I lived in a pride in a place called pride rock and I was going to be the new king of that pride when the time comes," Kovu answered. Shuja's eyes widened. "Whoa, a king, now we really need to get you back to your pride," Shuja exclaimed. Kovu gave him a grin. "Who's going to be your queen?" Shuja asked.

"That would be Kiara; she's the King's daughter," Kovu answered.

"You are one lucky lion Kovu, I can tell you that," Shuja replied. Kovu grinned.

"Now, you tell me about yourself," Kovu said. Shuja let out a short chuckle.

"Well, I can tell you that I'm not going to be a king," He started. "I lived in this tree in a beautiful forest and there were many different types of monkeys that lived in this forest, that was the life, there was enough food for everyone and good company too, but, one day the hunter, James, had came in with his gun, the monkeys had all scattered, getting as far away as they could I was also trying to get away but my foot had gotten tangled in a vine so, he shot me with a tranquilizer and I've been living here for a while." Kovu was silent as he absorbed what Shuja had told him. "Wow," were the only words that came out of his mouth.

"This place is not as fancy as the place where I used to live but, the animals are just as nice here," Shuja said.

"One question, what's a gun and tranquilizer?" Kovu asked.

"Did you see James carrying an object that looked like a stick and when he shot it something that was a capsule and had red feathers got you, those are the gun and tranquilizer," Shuja answered. Kovu nodded his head. "Hey, guys I found Toma," Leona called out.

They both turned their heads towards her.

"Where is he then?" Shuja asked.

"He's back there not too far off," She answered turning around. "C'mon." Kovu and Shuja followed Leona. When she stopped, Leona walked up to the bundle of fur and nudged it with her nose. The animal that was the bundle of fur lifted its head and yawned revealing its sharp canines.

"This is the lion I was telling you about, Toma," Leona said gesturing to Kovu with her head. Toma stood up and stretched, letting out another yawn in the process. He turned to look Kovu in the eyes. "So, you're the lion who wants to escape, huh, well let me tell you something, I escaped 'cause of luck, there isn't a way out, so forget about it," Toma said.

"Are you sure there isn't a way to escape?" Kovu asked desperately.

"Didn't you hear me the first time, forget about it," Tome snapped. Kovu glared and started to take a step but, Leona placed her paw in front of him before he could do anything.

"Tell us how you got out," Leona said.

"By luck, now leave me alone," Toma growled. Leona took a deep breath before she spoke.

"I mean how did you get out, how did you get out of the cages to come outside," Leona said.

"Fine, anything to get you all to leave me alone," Toma grumbled. "One night when they had brought us in and were closing the cage doors, the door to mine didn't close all the way so, when the humans had left I squeezed my way out of the opening, once I was outside I ran to the fence and started digging, when I had dug a hole big enough for me to squeeze through I did but, once I was on the other side of the fence an alarm sounded, I knew then that they must've found out I was gone, I ran and ran trying to get as far away as I could but, James had found me and shot a tranquilizer at me and after that I woke up back in my cage," Toma explained. Leona stood up and started to pace. They had sat in silence watching Leona pace around before Kovu spoke up.

"What are you doing," He asked. She turned towards him. "I'm thinking of a plan to get you out of here," She answered.

"Well, what do you have?" Shuja asked. Leona sighed. "I can't come up with anything honestly," She admitted. Kovu looked down while Shuja face palmed. Leona turned towards Toma. "Please Toma could you help Kovu get out, help us make a plan, please," Leona begged.

"Why should I help him," He replied. Kovu lifted his head and stood. "We could help you escape from this place and for good," Kovu answered.

"Fine, but I better get out of this place," Toma said. Kovu's face brightened. "Thank you so much," He said gratefully.

"Come back to this spot tomorrow and I will tell you the plan," Toma muttered before curling back into a ball. The trio turned, walking away from Toma.

"Maybe you might really get out of here Kovu," Leona said when they were nearing Shuja's tree.

"I know," Kovu replied excitedly.

"I'm happy for you, Kovu, but don't forget about us little animals when you become king," Shuja said with a grin.

"I won't," Kovu replied returning the grin.

"Well, here's your tree Shuja, I'm going to introduce Kovu to the other animals or do you want to come with us?" Leona asked Shuja.

"I'll stay in my tree, have fun," Shuja replied before he climbed up his tree. The two lions walked away from Shuja's tree in search of the other animals.

"How many animals live here?" Kovu asked.

"There are eight other animals that live here, so, there are thirteen animals that live here," Leona answered.

"You're going to introduce me to all of the other animals?" Kovu asked.

"Yeah, don't worry they're all nice," Leona replied. Kovu followed her to a patch of shade under a tree. The animals that were already under the tree were a serval, porcupine and genet.

"Hey, Leona," the serval called out.

"Hey, Dalia," Leona greeted.

"So you're the new animal?" the genet asked. Kovu nodded his head before replying. "My name is Kovu.

"My name is Ada," the genet said.

"And my name is Taj," the porcupine told Kovu.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Kovu said.

"We have to get going, I want to introduce Kovu to the other animals," Leona explained.

"Well, see you around," Dalia said before the two lions walked off.

Leona and Kovu were walking when they saw a giraffe walking towards the pond in the field. "Hey, May, I want you to meet someone!" Leona called out to the giraffe. May turned her head towards the two lions and waited for them to reach her before continuing to the pond.

"You must be the new animal," May said looking down at Kovu.

"Yeah, my name's Kovu," He replied looking up to meet May's face. Before May could talk an ostrich walked up to the group. "Hello Zane, meet Kovu, he's the new animal," May told the ostrich, Zane. "Nice meeting you Kovu, I hope you are getting used to it here," Zane said before leaning down to take a drink of water.

"Bye, we are going to introduce him to the other animals," Leona said when the introductions were done. Zane brought up his head. "Reta was walking away from the pond, if you go now I bet you could catch her," Zane informed Leona.

"Thanks," Leona said before trotting away from the pond with Kovu. It didn't take long for the two lions to reach Reta, the zebra. "Hey Reta meet Kovu," Leona said once she was walking besides the zebra. Reta turned her head towards Leona. "Nice meeting you Kovu," Reta said to Kovu.

"Nice meeting you to," He replied. Reta smiled at them.

"Well, we need to introduce him to two more animals before they take us back into the cages, bye Reta," Leona said.

"Okay, see you two around," Reta said turning to walk away. Leona nudged Kovu to get him to follow her.

"Who else is there?" Kovu asked.

"That would be Kaz and Sahi, knowing them they could be anywhere," Leona answered.

"Or we could be right here," A voice said behind the two lions. Kovu and Leona turned around to face a painted dog and cheetah. Leona grinned at the two.

"Hey guys," She greeted.

"Hey Leona, so who's he," the painted dog replied.

"This, Kaz, is Kovu," Leona answered.

"Hey Kovu," Kaz said smiling at him. Kovu smiled back.

"My name's Sahi," the cheetah told Kovu.

"Nice to meet you two," Kovu said to them. Before anyone could say anything else the doors to the cages opened. Leona turned towards Kovu.

"That means it's time to go inside," She informed him. Leona started walking towards the entrance to the lion's cage, after she took several steps Kovu followed. Once the two were in the cage, the doors that lead to the outside closed, Claire came by and gave them food. When Kovu finished his meal he lay down and rested his head on his paws and easily fell into a deep sleep. The thought of getting back to his pride went through his mind as he slept.

**A/N: There we go, chapter three. Thanks for reading and I have a poll on my profile, if you have time, could you answer, much appreciated. Reviews welcomed.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Lion King does not belong to me.**

Kovu urged Leona to hurry as they were walking to the same spot where Toma said he would meet them.

"Kovu, really he's not going to disappear in thin air," Leona snapped. Kovu just laughed and urged her to hurry again. Leona just sighed and walked at a faster pace. When the lions reached the location, Toma was already there waiting for them.

"Did you come up with a plan?" Kovu asked once he was standing in front of Toma.

"Yeah, I did but, it might take a few days, I'm pretty sure Mr. Remington made a few improvements since the time I escaped," Toma answered.

"By those improvements, are you talking about the time they had kept all the animals in their cages for those several days?" Leona asked. Toma turned to face Leona.

"Yes, that happened after I tried to escape," He replied.

"So, the plan," Kovu said, wanting to get back to the reason they had met up with Toma.

"Right, the first part is that we need to dig a hole big enough for you," Toma started glancing at Kovu. "That might take several days itself so, I was thinking that Kaz could help with the digging, but, we're also going to need a look out and that could either be Betty or Sahi, when have the hole done I'll explain the rest of the plan."

"But, you do have the whole plan?" Kovu asked concerned. Toma rolled his eyes.

"In fact I do, I just think we should take it a step at a time," Toma answered.

"Well, I think that sounds reasonable, we should start looking for Kaz," Leona said turning around to find Kaz. Kovu nodded his head and followed Leona. When the lions found Kaz, he was racing with Sahi.

"Hey Kaz, come over here!" Leona called out. Kaz stopped mid-stride, almost falling flat on his face. The painted dog walked over to the two lions.

"Yeah, what's up," He said when he reached them.

"We need a favor from you," Kovu replied.

"Hey guys," Sahi greeted.

"You can help too," Kovu said looking at the cheetah.

"Help with what?" He asked.

"We'll explain on the way," Leona answered. Kaz and Sahi looked at each other confused but, they still followed the two lions.

"No way, you're really going to try to escape!" Sahi and Kaz exclaimed in unison. Kovu laughed at the outburst.

"I'm going to try," He replied.

"So what will you need us two to do?" Kaz asked.

"Kaz we're going to need you to help Leona and me to dig a hole and Sahi we need you to be look out and warn us if anyone is coming," Kovu answered.

"We need to ask Toma where to dig," Leona commented once they were near Toma.

"Right here," Toma said pointing his snout to the ground near him.

"Umm, what?" Leona asked.

"I heard your question so, right here," He explained.

"Well, we better get started," Leona said. She walked over to the spot where Toma pointed to and started pawing at the dirt. She picked up her head and glanced at Kovu and Kaz. She motioned with her eyes for the two to help her. Kaz was having an easier time at digging than Leona and Kovu.

"So, how big does this hole need to be?" Kaz asked.

"It needs to be big enough for Kovu to fit through," Leona answered. While the trio was digging, Kovu struck his paw on something hard.

"Ouch!" He cried out. Leona and Kaz quickly brought their attentions to Kovu.

"What happened?"Leona asked. Kovu held up his paw.

"I hit it on something hard in the hole," He answered. Kaz and Leona both peered into the hole. Leona started digging around the same area that Kovu had hit his paw. After a short minute she had also felt something hard with her paw.

"Feels like a rock," She said. Toma, who had been napping short distance away from the trio, walked up to Leona.

"Let me see," He said as he stuck his head in the hole. Toma took out his head and turned towards the trio.

"There is cement holding down the fence," He started. "You three need to dig a hole underneath it for this plan to work so, get back to digging." With that said Toma went back to the spot where he was previously taking a nap. Kovu rolled his eyes.

"Why's he so grumpy?" Kovu asked, making sure to whisper. Kaz quickly took a peek towards Toma's direction and motioned for Kovu to lean in closer to him.

"Well, May told me that Toma was taken from his family, he had a wife and a kid," Kaz said. Kovu glanced at Toma, who was already asleep.

"That's sad," Kovu said quietly.

"Yeah it is sad, he's been a grump ever since I've been here," Leona commented.

"Hey, Leona how long have you been here?" Kovu asked.

"Hmm, ever since I was a cub, the only memories I remember are fuzzy, they are of my mom but, there unclear," She answered, right before Sahi came up to the trio.

"I thought you were supposed to be digging not gossiping," He teased.

"Aw shut up Sahi," Kaz replied with a grin.

"But, Kaz, Sahi's right we need to get back to digging," Leona said. The trio went back to digging with Sahi helping out every now and then when one of them got tired.

"How are we going to hide the hole when they take us back inside into the cage?" Kaz asked.

"That's a good question," Leona replied. Kovu looked around before his eyes stopped on a small bush. He walked over to the bush and grabbed a chunk of the bush in his jaws and pulled. Kaz, Leona and Sahi all gave Kovu confused looks. When he had pulled the bush out of the ground he walked over to them. He dropped the bush on the ground at his feet before talking.

"We could use the bush to hide the hole by putting it in it so, anyone who passes by won't notice it," He explained.

"That's sounds good," Leona said. Kovu beamed with pride.

"Well, we better get back to work," He said before he started digging again. Soon after Kovu had said that Kaz and Leona followed his example and started to dig. While the trio was digging, Sahi walked away to continue his role as look out. The trio had dug for several hours taking breaks every now and then.

"At the pace were going we'll probably be done by tomorrow," Leona commented.

"It does," Kaz agreed.

"Yeah and the sooner I can get out of this place," Kovu mumbled under his breath.

Suddenly, Sahi ran towards them and skidded to a stop.

"You need to hide that hole 'cause Mr. R is out in the field," He warned. Hearing the warning Kovu grabbed the bush in his jaw and placed it in the hole.

The group, minus Toma, who had decided to 'look after' (continue to nap) the hole, walked towards where Mr. Remington was.

"How can you all actually be nice to the human that had caused to be stuck here?" Kovu asked. Kaz, Sahi and Leona all glanced at each other before answering Kovu.

"My reason is that I have grown up with this man, though I do remember when I was a cub I would nip at him and leave little scars on his hands," Leona answered, letting out a small laugh at the memory.

"I don't know how I don't feel like ripping out his throat, maybe it's because I learned to live peacefully here and besides I have great friends here, like Kaz and Leona," Sahi replied. Leona gave Sahi a small smile which he returned.

"I'm guessing my reason is the same as Sahi's and he's not all that bad, he can be cool," Kaz said.

"I don't understand you guys but, whatever makes you happy," Kovu sighed.

"Ah, I see that Leo is getting along well with the other animals," Mr. Remington commented. "Duke, my boy, you have dirt all over your paws," He said addressing Kaz. Tensing for a second Kaz quickly began to paw at the ground. Mr. Remington let out a hearty chuckle. He leaned down and petted Kaz on the head.

"Cody, Leona," He greeted petting the two felines on their heads as well. Kovu kept his distance away from Mr. Remington.

"So, Leo I see you are keeping your distance from me," Mr. Remington said glancing at Kovu. In response Kovu turned, his back facing Mr. Remington. Leona shook her head while Kaz and Sahi let out short laughs.

"Well, you four keep out of trouble, I'm going to see the others," Mr. Remington said walking off. When Mr. Remington had walked away from sight, Kovu joined the group.

"He's not that bad," Leona said to Kovu. He just gave her a look that said "Are you serious". Leona rolled her eyes at him. While the two lions were busy with their glaring contest, Kaz and Sahi had glanced at each other before a mischievous grin was shared between them. They both silently walked on either side of Leona. Kaz and Sahi looked at each other before pouncing on their unsuspecting victim, Leona.

"Ahhh!" She yelled out in surprise when they pounced. The cheetah and painted dog laughed in response along with several from Kovu. Leona glared at the trio but, not long before she joined in the laughter.

"Now what was that for?" She asked once she was up on her paws.

"We just wanted to stop that glaring contest," Kaz answered.

"It was unnecessary to pounce on me but, it sure was funny," Leona said. Kaz and Sahi grinned at the statement.

"With Mr. Remington walking around the field we can't go back to digging so, what should we do?" Leona asked.

"Me and Sahi are going to look for Dalia, Ada and Taj," Kaz replied.

"How about we go meet up with Shuja," Kovu suggested. Leona thought for a second before nodding her head. The group said their goodbyes before splitting up and walking their separate ways.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Lion King does not belong to me.**

Leona and Kovu's walk towards Shuja's tree was short; they ended up at their destination quickly. Leona called up to Shuja and he came down, climbing onto Leona's back.

"So, how's the digging coming along?" He asked, his tail swishing back and forth.

"It's coming along well, I think we will be done with the hole by tomorrow," Leona answered.

"How are you going to hide the hole from Mr. R?" Shuja asked again.

"I put a bush into the hole to hide it from anyone who passes by," Kovu answered.

"Smart," Shuja replied, nodding his head. Kovu's face beamed with pride. The trio wandered aimlessly through the field avoiding the areas where Mr. Remington was because of the vicious glares that Kovu sent the man. They talked about anything that came to mind; mostly questions about Kovu's life came up. He answered the questions, leaving out some _minor_ details, those dealing with Zira and him having to kill Simba.

"It sounds like you have a good life with your pride," Leona commented.

"I do and that's why I need to get back as soon as possible," Kovu said with determination. Shuja hopped off of Leona's back and walked next to Kovu.

"Don't worry you'll be with your pride in no time," He said as he patted Kovu's shoulder. Kovu turned his head to give Shuja a smile. The trio then walked to Betty's tree, they sat around the trunk of the tree in the shade watching the field and the animals occupying it. Betty flew down from her tree landing near Kovu.

"So, what brings you animals here?" She asked once she was on the ground. Leona looked towards Betty and smiled.

"We're just hanging out by your tree, also I need to ask you a question," Leona replied.

"Shoot."

"Would you be Kovu and my lookout tomorrow?" She asked receiving a glance from Kovu. Betty tilted her head in confusion.

"Why would you need me to be a lookout for?" Leona looked at Kovu, waiting for him to tell Betty why they needed her.

"I'm uh..." He trailed off, unsure if whether to tell the bird or not.

"Toma did say she could also be the lookout and I think that Kaz and Sahi should have a break tomorrow, 'cause the hole won't take that long to finish anyways and you know those two are inseparable, so come on you can tell her," Leona said to convince Kovu to tell Betty. Kovu nodded his head and continued talking.

"I'm trying to escape and I need you to be the lookout, that means while Leona and I am digging you need to come to us and tell us if anyone is coming," Kovu explained.

"Sure I'll be your lookout," Betty replied nodding her head. Both Kovu's and Leona's faces brightened at the answer.

"Thanks a bunch Betty, tomorrow when they let us out, come find me so I can show you where Kovu and I'm digging," Leona told Betty.

"Sure thing," Betty replied. The four animals rested under the tree, enjoying the shade on the hot day. Betty and Leona watched Mr. Remington play with the other animals while Shuja and Kovu were taking a nap. They stayed like that until all the animals had to go back in their cages.

Leona nudged Kovu awake easily while waking up Shuja was more difficult, he would just roll and turn in a different direction. She sighed, Kovu and Betty laughing at the scene, and grabbed Shuja by the back of his neck with her jaws. Once Leona had lifted Shuja from the ground his eyes snapped open and he let out a surprised yelp. She gently dropped him on the ground.

"If you needed to wake me up you could have just nudged me," He said.

"She did, you didn't wake up, so she picked you up causing you to scream," Betty told Shuja. He let out an embarrassed laugh before he said his goodbyes, walking towards his cage also excusing himself from further embarrassment. Leona and Kovu both as well said their goodbyes before walking to their cage.

The animals were fed once everyone was in their cage and then night time would come and sleep would overtake the animals. The next day, Kovu was one of the first animals to wake up, his eagerness to complete the hole and move on to the next step kept him from sleeping any longer. Kovu laid his head on his front paws, waiting though he became impatient and started to pace around the cage. Leona's ears twitched the sound of shuffling disrupting her sleep; she opened one eye to see that Kovu was the one making the noise. Leona rolled her eyes before standing up and stretching.

"Why are you up so early?" Leona asked, yawning. Kovu stopped mid step and turned to face Leona.

"I want to finish the hole and get on with the plan." Leona yawned again, teeth showing, her mouth came together with an audible click.

"Well, they aren't taking us outside for another several minutes, so why don't you talk to Zane," Leona suggested, as she laid her head on her paws preparing to go back to sleep.

Kovu walked to the walked towards the bars of the cage that were nearest to Zane the ostrich.

"Hey," Kovu greeted. Zane turned around and acknowledged Kovu with a nod of his head. Kovu sat down on his haunches near Zane.

"So, how were you captured?" Kovu asked. Zane lifted his head to look at Kovu.

"I wasn't captured," He started. Kovu had a confused expression on his face. Zane chuckled before continuing. "I came from a zoo in America, I was sick and the zoo I lived in couldn't pay for the medicine I needed at the time, so one day Mr. Remington came to the zoo and he bought me from them, nursing me back to health." Kovu just sat, staring at Zane speechless. The ostrich gave Kovu a smile and waited patiently for Kovu to speak.

"What is a zoo?"

"It's a place where different animals are kept and humans can observe them," Zane replied.

"Wouldn't that be like what this place is," Kovu said. Zane tilted his head, thinking, and then shook his head.

"No, they're not the same, here we don't have anyone watching us, and from my experience this place is a bit more comfortable," Zane explained. "So, tell me about you?"

Kovu cleared his throat before he explained to Zane about his life before he was captured. Once Kovu had finished talking to Zane, the ostrich blinked several times before replying.

"You're a prince, going to be a king!" He exclaimed quietly. Kovu gave Zane a sheepish grin.

"Does anyone else know you're a prince?" Kovu nodded his head in response to the answer. The two animals turned their heads when the sound of a door opening filled the air. Claire walked in, pushing a cart that held buckets of various sizes filled with different foods. She smiled at the animals that were awake and walked down the row of cages placing the correct food for the animal in the cage. She did this quickly, saying greetings to the animals that walked up to the cage bars.

"Hi Leo, hi Zane," Claire greeted when she reached their cages. She grabbed two containers and placed the food from them into the animals' cages. Once she had finished feeding all the animals she left with the cart in tow and left the animals to their food. The animals that were sleeping were now awake, the smell of food filling their noses. Leona walked over to Kovu and Zane, blinking the sleep from her eyes and greeting them with a nod of her head before she grabbed a chunk of meat in her mouth to eat. Both Kovu and Zane said their farewells before walking over to their food. Once all the animals have finished eating they were released into the field. Kovu walked next to Leona, using most of his will power to refrain from burst out running towards the hole. Betty flew to them before they went deeper into the field. She landed on Leona's back before she greeted them. When the three reached the hole, Kovu grabbed the bush and started to dig. Leona told Betty what to do before she went to help Kovu finish digging the hole. Kovu was just about to break through the surface on the other side of the fence when Leona glanced behind her and saw Toma and a bird facing each other. The bird flew off leaving Toma alone.

"I'm going to talk to Toma, okay," Leona informed Kovu. He lifted his head to briefly nod before he went back to finishing the hole. She quickly walked to where Toma was.

"Hey Toma, the hole is almost done," She told him. Toma lifted his head and murmured a quiet "Good", before he started walking in the direction of where the hole was. Leona walked by him, wondering what that bird told him. She thought it would be better to let him mope before asking any questions. They walked in silence for the short walk before Leona's curiosity got the better of her.

"Who was that bird?"

Toma lifted his head to look at Leona. "That is none of your business," He replied coldly. Leona rolled her and sighed. She walked ahead of Toma and saw that Kovu had already finished the hole. He grinned at her, his pride radiating. Toma walked up to the hole and inspected it; he crawled into it, his head popping out on the other end of it. He nodded his approval once he exited the hole.

"The next step will be to get the door to the cages to be opened without the humans noticing," Toma started. "It'll be harder with you lions since of how big the door will need to be opened, I was thinking when the door is coming down one of you could place a rock under it so it will be prevented from closing all the way and if you succeed in doing that then you will need to be quick and run towards the hole and escape."

"But when you were telling us about how you escaped didn't you say that they found out you were gone because they checked the cages," Leona questioned.

"Since they turn the lights off and it gets dark, you and Kovu can place some bushes in there and make them look like lions," Toma answered. Leona nodded her head in response.

"That means tonight, Kovu, you are getting out of here," Toma said.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcomed and appreciated. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: *Insert Disclaimer here* **

Kovu felt relief wash over him, knowing that he was going to escape supplied the feeling.

"We better get the things we'll need to finish the rest of the plan," He said.

Leona followed him as they walked towards a group of bushes. The two lions both worked together in ripping up enough bushes from the ground for them. They piled them near the entrance to their cage before they went in search for the right rock. Toma had accompanied them on this step of the plan, seeing as he would need a rock as well. It took less time for Toma to find the right rock for him that it took for Leona and Kovu.

"Why don't you say bye to the others, since you're going to be leaving tonight," Leona suggested.

"Yeah I probably should," Kovu replied.

He and Leona walked towards the nearest tree, which happened to be Shuja's. Kovu walked up to the tree and called down the monkey. Shuja greeted them while he climbed down the tree to meet the lions at the bottom.

"What brings you two here?" Shuja asked.

"I wanted to say bye," Kovu answered. Shuja stared at the lion with wide eyes.

"Well, that probably means you're going to be leaving soon." Kovu nodded his head.

Shuja walked towards before he gave the lion a hug. Kovu smiled before he hugged back, wrapping his paw around the monkey. Leona smiled at the sweetness in the scene before her. Kovu broke off the hug after several seconds. After Kovu said goodbye once more he left with Leona to say bye to the other animals.

"How am I going to explain the reason why I'm leaving?" Kovu asked Leona.

"The best thing would be for you to tell them that you are escaping and telling them that you're a prince," She answered.

Kovu nodded his head in agreement. They walked towards Betty's tree, which wasn't that far from Shuja's. When they reached her tree they were surprised to find out that she wasn't there. They decided to search for other animals, figuring Betty would show up sooner or later. Leona directed them towards the water hole, knowing that May, Reta or Zane would be around there. Just as Leona guessed, all three of them were hanging around the water hole. Kovu and Leona walked towards them.

"Hey," Zane greeted, once the lions had reached the water hole. Kovu nodded his head, while Leona smiled.

"Uh, I came to say bye," Kovu started. He received confused looks from the others there. "I'm going to be escaping tonight, so I can go back to my pride because I'm the prince."

May was the first to break the silence that settled over them.

"My, my, Kovu is going to leave and he just got here well, never mind that, I wish you well and hope you reach your pride," She said, a caring smile on her lips.

"You really are leaving?" Zane said shocked. Kovu nodded his head.

"Like what May said, I wish you luck, though it's kind of sad that you are leaving so soon," Reta commented.

"Thanks and if I stay any longer I might not have another chance to escape," Kovu explained. He said a final goodbye as he walked off with Leona.

They began walking, searching for other animals out in the field. Suddenly, with a flash of fur the only warning, both Leona and Kovu were pinned to the ground.

"Whoa! Kaz, Sahi, what's wrong?" Leona asked.

"You're leaving!" Kaz and Sahi exclaimed in unison. Kovu was taken aback by their shouting.

"Who told you?" Kovu asked once his ears had stopped ringing.

"Shuja, he told us when we asked why he seemed kind of down," Sahi answered.

"Yeah I'm leaving tonight, so I wanted to say bye to all the animals before I left," Kovu explained. A loud squawk above the group's heads caused them to look up to see a familiar gray bird flying down towards them. Betty landed on Leona's back, tucking in her wings securely at her sides, before she turned to face Kovu.

"Did I hear you right, you're leaving tonight?"

Kovu nodded his head in reply. Betty's eyes widened as she started squawking, her sentences coming out rapidly, her words slurred. None of them could get a word in to stop Betty from rambling. She only stopped when Kovu shouted, telling her to stop.

"Oops, guess I kind of lost myself there," Betty said, embarrassed. Kaz looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Kind of?"

Betty gave a sheepish smile.

"Okay, a lot, I got out of hand there." The group laughed, before the sound of Kovu clearing his throat quieted them down.

"I came looking for you to say goodbye and that I don't regret meeting any of you," He said.

"We're going to miss you Kovu," Sahi sniffed, giving the lion a hug along with Kaz and Betty. Kovu hugged the three animals back.

"I have to go say bye to Ada, Dalia and Taj, so I'm going to have to end this hug," Kovu said.

The hug was ended and Kovu once again walked off with Leona to find the three animals he had yet to say goodbye to. They found the trio with Dalia standing on a rock telling something to Taj and Ada. The serval was telling her two friends of a time she had to fight off hundreds of snakes, coming out victorious in the end, most likely exaggerating the truth. Kovu and Leona sat down waiting for Dalia to finish her tale. Leona was shaking her head at the outrageousness of the story. The serval ended her story by jumping off the rock and landing by Kovu.

"Hey, what's up?" She asked.

"I wanted to say goodbye, because I'm leaving tonight," He answered, feeling the words roll off his tongue easily, having said them several times before. Ada, the genet, cocked her head to the side before asking where he was leaving. Kovu once again explained why he was leaving.

"You're a prince, so that means you're going to be a king, how cool," Taj gasped. Kovu smiled as he nodded his head.

"So you all see why I need to escape?" He asked. The trio nodded in reply to his question.

Kovu and Leona decided to stick around, hearing another one of Dalia's tales and wandering the field chatting with the other animals they came across. He knew he was going to miss the friends he made, but he knew he didn't belong there. He was going to be a king one day and he couldn't abandon his pride. Kovu half listened to the conversations going on around him. He was thinking of what the reactions of the lions will be when he gets to Pride Rock. Kovu would have been in his own world for a while if a voice calling his name hadn't called him back to reality.

"Kovu, you zoned out," Leona told him.

"What did I miss?" He asked.

"Nothing much, but now it's time to go into the cages," She answered.

While walking towards their cage Toma caught their eyes, he nodded, signaling that the escape plan was now in motion. Once he reached the rock that was going to be used to keep the door open, he grabbed it in his jaws keeping his head low to the ground. Kovu dropped the rock so it was beneath the door. Toma did the same as Kovu. When all the animals were in their cages, the caretaker, Claire, pressed the button that brought the doors down, closing them. She didn't notice that Toma's or Kovu's doors were a bit open. The only thing that Kovu and Toma had to do was wait until the right times.

As it got later, Kovu grew more tense and impatient. He started worrying, hoping that the plan would go smoothly. The lion paced around the cage waiting for Toma to give him the signal.

"It's gonna be alright, stop worrying," Leona reassured Kovu.

"I hope so," He muttered, still pacing. Leona shook her head and laid it on her paws. It wasn't long before Toma stuck his head under the door to the lions' cage, having already got out from his. He motioned with his head for Kovu to come out.

"Finally," He sighed. Kovu turned to Leona before he was going to get out of the cage.

"Bye."

Leona smiled before giving him a hug, which he returned.

"Never forget any of us, okay?"

Kovu nodded his head before releasing her. He crawled under the door, squeezing himself through. When, he reached the other side he grabbed the bush that they placed by the door earlier and pushed it under the door. Leona then took over on placing it into the cage, making it resemble a lion to the best of her abilities.

"When I say go we run towards the hole, no looking back," Toma said.

Kovu nodded his head. Toma had them waiting for two minutes or so, checking constantly for anyone who may be checking the cages. When no one came Toma said the word and the two dashed off towards the hole. Despite what Toma had told Kovu earlier, he glanced back to see the animals who were still awake near their cage doors, watching them, smiles of encouragement on their faces. After seeing that he ran faster as a burst of energy ran through him. As they were nearing the hole a large beam of light was on them. Kovu started to slow down, but Toma told him to keep running no matter what. A silhouette stood a large distance in front of the hole, blocking the two animals from achieving their freedom.

"I was right to come out and patrol all these nights," The silhouette said with a chuckle.

"The hunter," Kovu growled recognizing the voice. The hunter, James, chuckled again.

"I see you do remember me, well boys I need to put you two back in your cages," He said, propping up his tranquilizer gun onto his shoulder, but before he could shoot Toma lunged at James, surprising the hunter into dropping his gun.

"Run!" Toma yelled.

"But, what about you, I promised I'd help you escape" Kovu replied.

"Remember that birds who I was talking with before, he told me that he saw my mate with another jackal, I don't have a family anymore, so forget about me and go!" He yelled again.

Kovu paused for a second before he prepared to run. He glanced at Toma before he took off towards the hole.

"Oh no you don't," James said as Kovu ran.

The hunter propped up his gun again, not aiming for the lion, but the jackal. He pulled the trigger, hitting Toma on his flank. Toma's legs wobbled, but he tried to fight of the effects of the tranquilizer. He stood in front of James, baring his teeth in a warning before he fell on his side. Kovu looked back when he heard the gun go off, watching the scene unfold. He kept his gaze in front of him as he saw the hunter preparing to point the gun at him. Knowing he shouldn't, Kovu glanced back again, just to see James running after him. Kovu ran faster, trying to make his trip to the hole shorter.

Once Kovu reached the hole, he noticed that a part of it was filled with dirt. He looked back to see James's silhouette getting closer. Kovu immediately tore at the dirt, chunks of earth flying in the air as he began digging. He forced himself to keep his eyes on the ground and not looking behind him. Feeling the thud of footsteps, Kovu dug more viciously, but when a different set of footsteps came in he paused his digging to listen. When a roar rang out, it confirmed his suspicions. He turned around to see Leona tackle James to the ground. She grabbed the gun in her jaws and threw it, so it landed several feet away from them.

"Hurry, keep digging, I'll keep him off," Leona told Kovu.

He nodded his head, and then went back to his digging. The hole was filled up on the side that was in the field. Kovu was getting closer to finishing clearing the dirt from the hole, while Leona held down James with her paws, growling every now and then. When, Kovu did finish digging, he immediately crawled under.

"Let him go when you can't see me, okay?" Kovu asked Leona.

She nodded her head in reply. He gave her a smile before running off. When, he was barely a dot in the horizon Leona got off of James.

"He must have been a king or something for you animals to do that," James sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He patted the top of Leona's head before he walked to him gun that was thrown carelessly to the side and picking it up.

"Come on girl; let's get you and Toma back into your cages."

Leona followed James as he led her to her cage. He opened a panel on the outside of Leona's cage, entered a code and pressed a button. The door opened up after a beep. Leona went inside and lay down, finding herself to be very sleepy. James removed the rock from under the door and did the same with Toma, but he went inside Toma's cage and laid the unconscious jackal down.

"Goodnight," He said when he passed Leona's cage.

Kovu ran as fast as he could, ignoring the protest from his legs. Though he didn't know where he was, he knew he was running in the right direction. He knew he would definitely have a story to tell the pride when he reached them. Kovu ran faster, urging his legs to not give up on him. Thinking back on his short stay at the mansion, Kovu knew he wouldn't miss being in cages and food served, but he did know that he would miss the friends he made there, but one thing was for certain, he would never forget them.

**A/N: Yup, the story is done! Sorry I took so long to update, blame school, projects, and the usual boring stuff, but now school has ended for me and summer is here! I'll more free time now. I'm thinking of writing some shorts of the animals living in Remington Mansion. I think it'll be posted on FP. Well, thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'll add in one more chapter and this will be done. Remember I don't own The Lion King.**

Kovu's legs gave out and he fell to the ground in a heap. He rested for a few minutes before standing up again. _I can do this. _He thought to himself before he began running. Once Kovu reached pride rock, he collapsed from exhaustion near the base. He let his sleep overtake him as he was too tired to fight it. Kovu hoped he would wake up earlier than the other lions, but he doubted that. He fell asleep as soon as he laid his head on his paws.

Kovu raised his head quickly when he heard his name being shouted. He saw a familiar lioness. She ran towards him and nuzzled his head.

"Kiara, I never want to be separated from you ever again," He said to her.

She smiled at him, tears lining the rims of her eyes. Kiara nuzzled closer into him as if at any moment he would disappear. The two were so absorbed in each other's presence that they failed to notice the pride surrounding them. Kovu looked up to see wide eyes from most of the pride. He separated from Kiara and stood before them.

"I'm back," He said with a grin.

Kovu was bombarded with questions from the other lions.

"Where did they take you?"

"Are you hurt?"

"What happened?"

"Did they do anything to you?"

Simba's roar made all talking cease immediately. He told the lions to arrange themselves in a circle, before he sat besides Kovu, Nala at his side. Simba motioned for Kovu begin telling his story. He started from when he woke up in the cage with Leona. The pride was silent as he told his story, interested in where he was taken. When he finished talking, silence filled the air as the lions thought of his tale and what he had gone through. The silence was broken when Simba cleared his throat.

"How about we get some _real _meat in you?" Simba said, looking at Kovu.

Kovu's eyes brightened at the thought of getting to eat actual meat. Simba smiled at his reaction before he turned to Nala. He whispered something in her ear. She nodded her head and stood, gathering some lionesses from the pride and instructing them to follow her. Kovu and Kiara walked off to sit under a tree.

"I'm so happy that you're back," Kiara murmured to Kovu, rubbing her head affectionately into his shoulder. He smiled at her as he returned the gesture.

"I am too," Kovu replied.

They stayed under the tree for a while. The sun had risen higher in the sky when Nala came back with her hunting group. She was dragging the buffalo they had caught by its throat. When she dropped it near the base of pride rock, Simba walked over to Kiara and Kovu and motioned with his head for them to follow him.

"Dig in," he said before he dipped his head to take a chunk out of its torso.

Kovu and Kiara both followed Simba's example and grabbed a piece of the buffalo to eat. Kovu savored the taste of the meat. The meat that he was fed at Remington Mansion didn't compare to the meat he was eating right then. Kovu made sure to eat his fill before sitting to the side with Kiara while the other lions began to eat. He had a content smile on his face. He thought of how happy he was to be back with the pride and glad to see everyone again. Also, he thought of how he never wanted to be captured again.

"What's on your mind?" Kiara asked, looking at Kovu.

He blinked several times; Kiara's questioned broke him out of the trance he was previously in.

"Nothing really, just some thoughts," He answered.

Kiara smiled warmly before resting her head onto his side. It wasn't long before the pair fell asleep. Some lionesses who passed by the pair would smile at the young love and be on their way. The tension and worry which was on the pride from the start of Kovu's capture went away, the air around them filled with peace. The days after Kovu returned went back to normal. Kovu continued to receive lessons from Simba on being a good king.

He would sometimes wake from his sleep still thinking he was at Remington Mansion, but after several days he was used to being back at pride rock. As the days went by, his thoughts were less preoccupied by thoughts of his friends from the mansion and more on what Simba told him. Though when he let his mind wander, he would think of how his friends were doing.

Back at Remington Mansion things also went back to normal. The animals were kept in their cages while the hole was being filled and Mr. Remington added some more security to prevent any more escapes. After those days the animals were able to go back to their routine of going out into the field. They did wonder how he was doing and if he was able to find his way back to pride rock, but one day their questions were answered.

A blue bird with a large orange beak flew into the field at the mansion. It flew in circles over the field like they were looking for someone. Betty noticed the strange bird before any of the others. She flew from her tree towards the bird.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" She asked.

The bird squawked in surprise. He regained his composure before answering.

"I am looking for a lioness with the name Leona; could you possibly show me where she is?" He said.

Betty gave the bird a questioning glance but nodded and told him to follow her none the less. They found her with Shuja at his tree. Betty landed on the ground near her. Both Leona and Shuja turned their attention towards the bird that was with Betty.

"Who's this?" Leona asked.

The bird stepped forward and bowed before introducing himself.

"I am Zazu, I come from pride rock to deliver a message from Prince Kovu," He answered.

When he finished his answer, Leona, Shuja and Betty were all interested in what he was going to say. They waited silently while they waited for Zazu to give them the message.

"He wanted me to tell you that he made it back to his pride safely and is fine. He's having lessons from King Simba on how to become a good king and he also says that he misses all of you, his friends, which he will never forget."

All three of the animals grinned at the short message.

"Do you want me to give him a message from you all?" Zazu asked.

Leona nodded her head, along with Betty and Shuja.

"Tell him that we all wish him well and are glad he made is safely back to his pride, also tell him that we won't forget him either," She said.

Before Zazu had a chance to fly off Shuja stopped him.

"Could you also ask Kovu if he can name a cub he has after me?" Shuja asked with a sheepish smile on his face.

Zazu nodded before flying off and away from the manor. When Zazu left Betty and Leona laughed at Shuja's request for Kovu to name a future cub after him, Shuja just rolled his eyes and climbed his tree, leaving the two laughing animals at the bottom.

By evening Zazu returned to pride rock. He flew around pride rock in search of Kovu. The bird found Kovu on the incline of pride rock. He told Kovu the message he received from Leona and Shuja. Kovu laughed when Zazu told him that Shuja wanted a cub named after him. He thanked Zazu and dismissed him. He looked out into the horizon, watching the kingdom that will one day be his responsibility to rule over.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and don't be afraid to review. **


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